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British Commonwealth
The British Commonwealth, Commonwealth of Nations, '''or simply Commonwealth, formerly the British Empire''' is an intergovernmental organization for the economic and political union of twenty sovereign states (and two states still under the direct overseas governance and jurisdiction of the United Kingdom). As a collective, the Commonwealth is considered a world power rivaling the United States, Soviet Union, and China. History During the Age of Sail and the Age of Colonization, the British formed a massive seafaring and colonial empire through exploration, trade and rapid colonization. Large swathes of land were immediately seized for the English Crown, and these forceful acquisitions allowed the Empire to become one of the largest superstate powers on Earth. So extensive was the expansion of this growing superstate that a common motto espoused 'the sun never sets on the British Empire'. In 1807, the practice of slavery was outlawed in the Commonwealth, and effectively the rest of the world as well, cutting off most of the supply of slaves, and all of the supply of Anthro-feralis slaves to the United States. Throughout the late 19th century and 20th century, many states under Empire governance slowly shifted towards self-rule and were eventually granted de jure independence, through a combination of local independence movements or waning interest from London to continue administration. However, subsequent exchanges of power and lingering desires to retain Imperial hegemony meant that the de facto status of independence for many of these states was questionable. Eventually in 1949, the London Declaration declared all former governed territories outside the United Kingdom, with the noticeable exception of Xanjera to be 'free and equal', ending direct British control over almost all members within their sphere of influence. However, as a counterpoint, the Empire offered benefits in the form of economic, defence and scientific research pacts and agreements to states that agreed to remain in what was now to referred to as the Commonwealth of Nations. Awakening and Reconstruction eras The Commonwealth was hit severely during the Type-III Awakening Incident. Many of its member states were overrun or severely damaged, with India being a particularly severe case; most of the southern half of the Indian subcontinent was abandoned after the Indian military came to the realization that they only had the resources to hold a limited portion of the country. An arbitrary line was drawn through the subcontinent, and its southern half was abandoned as survivors and remaining military assets relocated northward to concentrate efforts on saving the rest of the country. The southern half of the subcontinent is now known as the Southern Indian Forsaken Zone. After the Awakening Incident, the Commonwealth concentrated its resources to rebuilding, allocating raw materials and wealth to infrastructure repair and industrial redevelopment. However, tensions also rose during the global Reconstruction period between member states and the United Kingdom; accusations that the Commonwealth was diverting most reconstruction resources to the British Isles were leveled, and in particular the Anthro-populated state of Xanjera was left with comparatively few materials to work with despite its vast lands being rich with ore and minerals. Hong Kong was released from direct British control in 1998 after its lease from China had expired. However, the circumstances of the Awakening changed relationships and agreements. The Commonwealth ultimately did not honor the expiration of the 99 year lease and failed to hand over the territory back to its original owner; the People's Republic of China had been hit severely by the global catastrophe and was in poor shape, and the response of its communist leadership was to initiate a series of crackdowns and seizures on its populace. Hong Kong's citizenry staged mass protests and demonstrations to prevent the return of their region to the PRC; ultimately a Commonwealth-backed coup resulted in complete independence... and eventual absorption into the Commonwealth legion to deter a future Chinese annexation attempt. This has been a lasting cause of Chinese hostility towards Commonwealth nations all the way to the modern day. The bulk of Reconstruction occurred in the early 2000s for the Commonwealth, and was considered completed in the United Kingdom, Canada and a handful of other states by 2020. India on the other hand is considered to be still Recovering. Over time since the Awakening, the Commonwealth's relationship with the United States has backslid; the warming relations between the Americans and Soviets caused great anxiety, and its own relationship with the USSR has not improved in comparison, creating a rift between the two nations that were historically allies. In 2015, the United States ceased production of Citadel-class aerial battleships for the United Kingdom, cancelling orders for ships just beginning construction and forcing Xaikon Heavy to return the funds for the purchase. The reason behind this was US President Michael Rivers (noted Anthro-phobe behind the 2013 Anti-Anthro Act) becoming incensed that a previously purchased Super Bastion nuclear submarine (also made by Xaikon Heavy) had been commissioned for the Xanjeran Royal Navy and was crewed by Anthros. In what could be considered and unconstitutional breach of authority, he used his executive powers to interfere on the grounds of national security, with the justification that Xanjera was vulnerable to CLAW interests. The American public at the time was largely indifferent, and a vocal minority supported this move. In response to the loss of the Citadel purchase, the Commonwealth began to develop their own aerial battleship programme in the late 2010s and early 2020s to compensate, ultimately creating the Rook-class. ''This earned the ire of the Soviet Union, who claimed that the British design stole elements of their Ilyushin-104 Airborne Battlecruiser, straining relations even further. 2030 Members of the Conclave were involved in an incident within Union Falls, causing a diplomatic incident by deploying the Mists of Annwn on American soil. They were taken into Coalition custody. President Marcus Whitmore, wishing to smooth over the conflict, allowed the [[RAF Taliesin|RAF ''Taliesin]] to arrive with UK agents at Union Falls' airport to retrieve them, and exit the United States without prosecution provided that they were swift about it. Near the end of the year, the entire Commonwealth was hit hard by the Langford cognitohazard attacks, and lost much of the union's allied satellite command and control network during the crisis, including weather control geosats that were hijacked by Kozan Greymoul to create severe flooding in cities along the coasts of the British Isles. What remaining satellites there were, were further whittled down in number following the global Kessler Cascade. Organization Within the Commonwealth, its member states are ostensibly independent and sovereign nations in their own right, but the line is often blurred between what could be considered a 'member state of a union' and a 'vassal state' given the United Kingdom's strong influence enabling it to project authority and appropriate resources at will. Representatives from each member are sent to London to negotiate greater Commonwealth policy and agreements. Like the in European Union's Schengen area, citizens of the Commonwealth enjoy expedited movement while travelling, and are subject to relaxed passport and identification controls when crossing borders between member states. London being the seat of the union is no mistake.The British Isles are the central nexus and considered the heart of the modern Commonwealth. The United Kingdom exerts a considerable amount of influence and power over members of the Commonwealth, often blurring the lines of sovereignty and calling into question how independent said member states are, with some foreign critics using the term 'vassal state' to define the persisting British dominance. This fact means that in practice, the United Kingdom has vast resources to call upon and divert to itself when needed, a a condition it has exploited numerous times to ensure its continued status as a world power to rival the Soviet Union and the United States of America. Most states within the Empire have formed their own local governments, some of which are more arguably sovereign states in their own right than others. The following is a list of notable and influential members. Member states * United Kingdom * Canada * India * Xanjera * New Zealand * Hong Kong Territories * British Samoa Former Member States and Territories * United States of America